A touch of heaven

江蘇徐州七中 彭向梅

悅讀貼士

本刊所有文章中注釋的詞匯均為非課標詞匯，無須記憶與理解;在文后注釋的詞匯為課標詞匯，建議同學們將后者整理為詞匯掌中寶，以便隨帶隨記。

Step 1感知·閱讀導航

話題導入

被告知重病的女兒很難存活，一對夫妻在痛苦與絕望中，難以自拔。然而餐館中的一次偶遇卻成了事情的轉折點。一對老年夫妻重新為這個家庭帶來了快樂。一美元的紙幣雖然面值低，但能帶來無價的溫暖。一只老人的手雖然粗糙扭曲，卻傳遞了來自天堂的觸摸。這是一個怎樣無比動人又發人深省的故事呢？我們一同去感受手掌所能傳遞的溫度吧!

全文詞數553，難度適中，建議用時10分鐘。

閱讀立意

閱讀時應達成以下四個基本目標：

1.通過環境、人物和主要內容三個角度快讀文章，抓住文本主要內容；

2.通過問題鏈，思考作者在遇到老人前后心態和人生態度的變化；

3.植入同樣飯店場景，完成一個溫情故事的續寫；

4.通過手的細節描寫，體會品味標題的含義，同時積累不同語境下hand的不同含義。

It had been a very sad day.The doctors had given us the worst of news.Our daughter，who had just completed her first brain surgery，was now officially given a two percent chance of survival as this type of cancer had no cure.

My wife and I decided to take our daughter to lunch before continuing our afternoon conversations.We went to a local restaurant where we sat in silence waiting for the waitress.Our daughter Molly wouldn't hear of such sadness or silence so she played happily with crayons and paper.

這是令人相當悲傷的一天。醫生剛剛帶給我們一個最壞的消息。我們的剛剛結束首次大腦手術的女兒，現在正式被宣布只有百分之二的存活率，因為這種類型的癌癥已經沒法治愈了。

在繼續我們下午的會談之前，我和妻子決定先帶女兒去吃午飯。我們去了當地一家餐館，安靜地坐在那兒等著服務員。我們的女兒莫莉沒有感受到這種悲傷或沉默，所以她很開心地用蠟筆在紙上涂鴉。

我注意到有一對老夫婦坐在不遠處，他們也處于沉默之中，從頭到尾沒說一句話。我不禁想知道他們的生活面臨著怎樣的挑戰，是否也曾在他們孩子身上發生過這種可怕的事情。

I noticed a very elderly couple sitting near us，they,too in silence，never speaking a word.I couldn't help but wonder what challenges they had faced in their life and if they ever faced such terrible news about a child of theirs.

We eventually ordered our lunch，still sitting in silence.At some point I became interested in the old couple and I watched carefully.I wondered if it was the peace they were enjoying or the food or maybe both.

Molly was talking and enjoying her meal and her mom and I both listened.We tried to be happy in her presence but it wasn't going very well.All of a sudden，I saw a hand come out of nowhere.It was huge，but the knuckles（指關節）were swollen and the fingers were off-center.The hand landed on my daughter's tiny hand.It was the hand of the old woman who had been sitting with the old man in silence eating their lunch.

She looked at my daughter and simply whispered， “If I could do more for you，I would.” And then she smiled and moved away to join her husband who had moved towards the door.

Just then，Molly cried out with excitement， “Hey！look， a whole dollar.” She discovered that the old lady had placed a one dollar bill on the back of her hand.I looked up to thank her，but she was gone.I sat stunned（目瞪口呆的），not sure what had just happened and then I looked over at my wife.Almost at the same moment，we broke out into a smile.The sadness of the day had been wiped out by the generous touch of an old lady.

The dollar， although exciting to Molly， was not what made us smile or begin to feel differently；it was the offer from an old lady.The crippled（殘疾的）hand made us realize that we did not have to fight this battle alone;that others cared and wanted to help.We felt better and soon our day was filled with more happy thoughts as we spent the rest of our lunch planning the activities of the next day.

The hand taught us such an important lesson.One does not have to go through life facing hardships all alone;the world is full of compassionate（富有同情心的）and understanding people.Even those that are suffering have much to give to each other.And though Heaven has these two perfect angels now，the lessons that they both taught me will remain forever in my heart.

最后，我們點了午飯，仍然靜靜地坐著。有一段時間，我對這對老夫婦產生了興趣，我仔細地觀察著。我想知道他們享受的是安寧，還是食物，或者兩者兼而有之。

莫莉仍舊在不停地說話，享受著她的午餐，而我和她媽媽在一旁聽著。我們想在她面前表現出快樂，但我們做得不太好。突然，我看到一只手在我面前出現。這只手極大，手指關節腫脹，指頭已經扭曲變形。這只手落在我女兒的手上。它正是剛剛一直在沉默中吃飯的那個老太太的手。

她看著我的女兒，輕聲說：“如果我能為你多做點什么，我會的。”然后她微笑著離開了，走向她的丈夫，而他已朝門口走去。

就在那時，莫莉興奮地叫道：“看啊，這有一美元。”莫莉發現那個老太太在她手背上放了一張一美元的紙幣。我抬起頭想感謝那個老人，但是她已經走了。我震驚地坐在那，不確定剛剛發生了什么，然后我看向我的妻子。幾乎同一時刻，我們臉上都綻放出了微笑。那一整天的憂愁都被老人那仁慈的撫摸一掃而空。

使我們露出微笑并且開始感覺不一樣的不是那一美元——盡管它讓莫莉很興奮，而是那個感受到我們痛苦的老人所給予的安慰。那雙殘疾的手讓我們明白了我們沒必要獨自面對戰斗，還有其他人也在關心著我們，并且希望幫助我們。我們感覺好多了，很快這一天就被很多快樂的想法填滿，我們用吃午飯剩下的時間去計劃第二天的活動。

這只手給了我們如此重要的一課。在人生旅程中，我們不必獨自面對痛苦時光。這個世界充滿了富有同情心和善解人意的人。甚至那些正遭受痛苦的人也可以給予他人許多幫助。盡管天堂現在有了這兩個完美的天使，但他們教會我的事情將永遠留在我的心中。

Step 2 實踐·文本解讀

閱讀掃障

Ⅰ.熱詞積累

Vocabulary

1.complete v.to finish doing something完成；完工；結束

2.surgery n.the treatment of injuries or diseases in people or animals by cutting open the body and removing or repairing the damaged part外科手術

3.officially adv.formally and in a way agreed to or arranged by people in positions of authority官方地

4.tiny adj.extremely small微小的

5.whisper v.to speak very quietly，using the breath but not the voice，so that only the person close to you can hear you小聲說話；低語；耳語

6.generous adj.willing to give money， help， kindness， etc.， especially more than is usual or expected慷慨的；寬宏大量的；仁慈的

7.hardship n.（something that causes） difficult or unpleasant conditions of life，or an example of this艱苦；困難

8.remain v.to stay in the same place or in the same condition留下；保持不變

Phrases

1.can't help but do情不自禁做某事

2.in one's presence當著某人的面；在某人面前

3.out of nowhere突然冒出來；莫名其妙地出現

4.look over at sb看向某人

5.break out into突然發出；迸發

6.wipe out擦掉；徹底摧毀

7.fight the battle斗爭；打仗

8.be filled with充滿著；被填滿

9.remain in one's heart銘記在心

Ⅱ.句型積累

1.I couldn't help but wonder what challenges they had faced in their life and if they ever faced such terrible news about a child of theirs.我不禁想知道他們的生活面臨著怎樣的挑戰，是否也曾在他們孩子身上發生過這種可怕的事情。

can't/couldn't help but do為常用句型“不得不；禁不住”，意思和can't help doing“情不自禁”差不多。如can't help feeling excited about the show.我不禁對這場秀感到激動不已。 但是一定要注意其與can't help to do表示“不能幫助做某事”的辨析。如He can't help to clean the house.他沒有辦法幫助打掃房間。

句式仿寫

我情不自禁為這場精彩的表演鼓掌。

2.We went to a local restaurant where we sat in silence waiting for the waitress.我們去了當地一家餐館，安靜地坐在那兒等著服務員。

It was the hand of the old woman who had been sitting with the old man in silence eating their lunch它正是剛剛一直在沉默中吃飯的那個老太太的手。

這兩句都包含了定語從句和現在分詞作狀語的情況。第一句中where引導定語從句，先行詞是a loca restaurant，waiting是作伴隨狀語；第二句中who引導定語從句，先行詞是the old woman，eating是現在分詞作伴隨狀語。

句式仿寫

她是我們最喜歡的老師，她總是面帶微笑走進教室。

立意呈現

Ⅰ.Fast reading to get the basic information of the text.

【點石成金】記敘文的閱讀除了抓時間、地點、人物、事件、起因、經過和結果六要素外，還可以從環境、人物和主要內容著手。本篇文章特點在于，老人的出現改變了作者和妻子對人生的態度。同學們可以從環境、人物和內容入手，這樣就更容易抓住重點，體會文本行文特點和主要人物的情感變化。

Ⅱ.Deep reading to think over the development of the plot.

1.What made the author and his wife sit in silence?

2.What made the old couple sit in silence?

3.What broke the silence?

4.What did “one dollar”bring?

【點石成金】環境的烘托，是全文的一個關注點。從開篇首句指出，a very sad day，到2～5段持續的silence的氛圍，作者夫婦的心情和故事都蘊化于silence中。而老婦人的相助，打破這一沉默，隨后帶來的smile和excitement，就是故事的轉機。那么問題鏈的設置也在于引導學生，體會故事線、感情線和環境線的交融。

Step 3 運用·讀寫整合

Ⅰ.語篇縮寫

參考詞匯：

the author，a local restaurant，a very elderly couple，Molly，survival，the generous touch

【規范寫作】

Ⅱ.讀后續寫

閱讀下面短文，根據所給情節進行續寫，使之構成一個完整的故事。

It was raining and cold when we went out to eat.We found a boring place，which looked carelessly decorated.It smelled greasy.Only five tables in the restaurant were occupied.There were two German couples， two French families， and an American sailor，by himself.In the corner a piano_ player monotonously played Christmas music.

I was too stubborn and too tired and miserable to leave.I looked around and noticed that the other customers were eating in stony silence.The only person who seemed happy was the American sailor While eating， he was writing a letter， and a half smile lighted his face.

My wife ordered our meal in French.The waite brought us the wrong thing.I scolded my wife for being stupid.She began to cry.The boys defended her，and I felt even worse.

Then，at the table with the French family on ou left， the father slapped （掌摑） one of his children fo some minor fault，and the boy began to cry.On ou right，the German wife began scolding her husband.

All of us were interrupted by an unpleasant blas of cold air.Through the front door came an old French flower woman.She wore a ragged overcoat and dragged herself in wet，worn shoes.Carrying he basket of flowers，she went from one table to another

“Flowers， sir?Only one franc.”

No one bought any.

Wearily she sat down at a table between the sailor and us.To the waiter she said， “A bowl o soup.I haven't sold a flower all afternoon.”To the piano player she said sharply， “Can you imagine Joseph，soup on Christmas Eve?”

He pointed to his empty “tipping plate”.The young sailor finished his meal and got up to leave.Putting on his coat，he walked over to the flower woman's table.

“Happy Christmas，” he said， smiling and picking out two flowers.“How much are they?”

“Two francs， sir.”注意：

1.所續寫短文的詞數應為150左右；

2.應使用5個以上短文中標有下劃線的關鍵詞語；

3.續寫部分分為兩段，每段的開頭語已為你寫好；

4.續寫完成后，請用下劃線標出你所使用的關鍵詞語。

Paragraph 1:

Pressing one of the small flowers flat，he put it into the letter he had written，then handed the woman a twenty-franc note.

Paragraph 2:

Touched by his generosity and joy，happiness of Christmas exploded throughout the restaurant like a bomb.

【讀后續寫思路呈現】

（1）從環境、人物和內容方面提取信息；

（2）根據已有情節內容進行推測；

①What would happen in a boring and silen Christmas Eve filled with complaint and cold air?

②Would the flower and the happy American sailor can change the situation?

（3）借助題干給出的信息進行情節的推測整合；

第一段提示語：

Pressing one of the small flowers flat，he put i into the letter he had written，then handed the woman a twenty-franc note.他把一朵小花壓扁，把它放進他寫的信里，然后遞給那女人一張二十法郎的鈔票。

第二段提示語：

Touched by his generosity and joy，happiness o Christmas exploded throughout the restaurant like a bomb.被他的慷慨和喜悅所感動，整個餐廳的圣誕快樂的氣氛就像炸彈一樣爆炸了。

（4）嘗試續寫

Ⅲ.讀寫歸納

讀后續寫最初是浙江高考題型，隨著高考改革的推進，范圍逐漸擴大。讀后續寫，也是讀寫整合，以讀促寫的訓練方式之一。通過不同層面角度解讀文本，幫助學生形成提取核心信息、抓文本特點和行文預測的思維能力，最后落實于寫作。

Step 4 提升·素養建構

【文學賞析】

記敘文中的細節描寫，具體滲透在對人物、景物或者場面描寫中。以小見大，渲染烘托，定格瞬間，從而增強文章的感染力。情節由粗線條的發展到細節定格的瞬間，先讀得味，再讀得悟。人物躍然紙上，才是閱讀的精妙之處。

文中的手代表著陌生人的關心。同樣處在沉默中的老太太的手，腫脹變形的手，更暗示了老太太可能也經歷過痛苦，但盡己之力，伸出溫情之手。小手拉著大手，就是 “我”患重癥的女兒和老太太的精神鼓勵和交流。“我”女兒已逝，但這一瞬間的觸摸，卻是永在天堂的觸摸。由手的感悟，到完成對標題的理解。

請從本篇文章中摘抄關于手的細節描寫，再思考標題“A touch of heaven”的蘊意。

1.突然，我看到一只手在我面前顯現。

2.這只手極大，手指關節腫脹，指頭已經扭曲變形。

3.這只手落在我女兒的手上。

4.它正是剛剛一直在沉默中吃飯的那個老太太的手。

5.那雙殘疾的手讓我們明白了我們沒必要獨自面對戰斗，還有其他人也在關心著我們，并且希望幫助我們。

【其他關于手的語境煉句】

1.Even local consumers have become fed up with Proton's cars，with their second-hand values declining sharply.就連當地消費者也逐漸對寶騰汽車產生了不滿情緒，原因就是二手寶騰車貶值過快。（Nov.30th 2006 HONG KONG From The Economist print edition）

2.In some localities，people have the misconception that poverty relief goes hand in hand with industrial projects.在一些地方，人們有一種誤解，認為扶貧與工業項目并駕齊驅。（中國日報2017-02-27）

3.At first sight，Li Yufeng's thin and not very tall figure makes it hard to believe he can climb five floors up a drain pipe outside a building with his bare hands in just 10 seconds.乍一看，李宇峰瘦小不高的身材讓人很難相信他能在10秒內徒手沿著一棟大樓外的排水管，爬上五層樓。（中國日報2017-10-12）

4.On the other hand，it helps put an end to the misunderstanding of Chinese culture and facilitate the peace of the world.另一方面，它有助于結束對中國文化的誤解，并促進世界和平。

5.As corporation ownership narrows，power lies in the hands of a few，making it difficult for diverse voices to be heard.隨著公司所有權的縮小，權力掌握在少數人手中，使得不同的聲音難以被聽到。（《大學美英報刊教材系列·美英報刊閱讀教程》）